Wraith are Never Ending
by Gemma96
Summary: Born human but experimented on by her adopted Father at a young age, Liana lived in a ruined hive ship with her Father and sister. After being sealed in a stasis pod for 200 years, who knows what will happen when she finds herself captured by the wraith. WraithxOC story. The Atlantis team will be in future chapters.
1. Fire

**Never Ending**

Chapter 1: Fire

The flames rose into a blinding wall of orange, red and yellow. Acrid smoke filled my lungs, making it almost impossible to breath. The fire roared and screamed, charging through the empty hall and igniting the organic material of the walls. I had to hold back a scream and changed course.

_'Kayla, where are you?'_ I thought, looking in all directions.

_'With Father on the opposite end of the ship. Where are you?' _  
_  
_I could feel the heat claw at my flesh_. 'Not there.'_

I panted heavily, wiped the sweat from my brow and turned another corner. Thankfully, the hall was clear from the fire.  
_  
'Liana, you have to get over here.'_

'What's going on? What happened? Why is this place on fire?'

'I don't know, just get over here.'

I crossed another corridor and a collection of doors before finally making it them.

"Liana, there you are!" Father sighed, running over and placing both arms on my shoulders.

"Father, what's happening?" He was about to explain when all of a sudden the ground shook and we were thrown across the room. Cables and wires flew out of the ceiling and sparked electricity. I tried to focus on standing, but it was proving more and more difficult with the constant tremors. Somehow father managed to do it with ease. He ran over to the control panel on the wall and within a few seconds the walls opened into two human-sized pods.

"Girls, get in." He commanded, grabbing us by the wrists.

"Wait a minute, what are those?" I asked but before I got an answer I was forced into one of the pods. Kayla managed to slide out of his grasp and turned.

"Father, what the hell is happening?"

His mouth parted slightly and his eyes held unshed tears. "I'm sorry, but you have to go in there." He grabbed her wrist again and pushed her inside. "I'm sorry for this girls... I really am."

I drew a quick breath and raised my hands as the pod slid shut. I could just make out his silhouette through the door.

"Father? Father!" I shouted. My heart thumped rapidly against my chest and my knuckles blistered and swelled as my fists pounded the door. "Father! Let us out!"

_'Liana what's happening? Can you get out?'_

'Does it look like I can get out?'

'Don't blame me! How do we get this door open?'

I was too busy to notice the temperature drop. My lips quivered and I unconsciously shivered. As I felt my strength wane I leant back and watched the outside fade away. The last thing I saw was Father's hand hover on the other side of the door before I lost all feeling and fell into a deep sleep.

deep sleep.


	2. Wraith

Chapter 2: Wraith

_200 years later..._

My mind faded in and out; the last remnants of my dream were chased away by the realisation that I was waking up. The dream wasn't at all pleasant; fire haunted every moment and it felt as if it had really happened. I rolled my head from side to side; the only audible sounds were a gentle humming and the patter of what I thought were footsteps passing by. A chill ran down my spine as I tried to move, but something kept me in place. My eyes fluttered open and the first thing I noticed was that I was in a dark room, similar to that of my home but it seemed foreign. The dark light and organic walls felt homely, but the strange air and the cable-like substance that held me in place weren't and it wasn't long before I was brought to my senses. My arms and legs struggled through the cocoon, trying to break free. However, after several attempts I gave up, realising that it was useless.

"Ugh, what the-?" I heard someone complain beside me.

"Kayla? Is that you?"

She grunted. "Yeah. What are we in? What is this thing?"

"I don't know."

"Ah. I can't get out!"

The gentle patter grew louder and heavier. My body stiffened as large, bulk forms marched over to our direction. Bone-like masks covered two of the men's faces. The one in the middle was slightly shorter and wore a black tinted cloak that seemed to blend into the surrounding darkness.

The men stopped mere inches away. Their leader's appearance was both frightening and strange. His ghostly white hair ended around his shoulders, matching the small beard that covered his chin. Two facial slits that were similar to my own were on his cheeks, a platted braid dangled just in front of his face and another was tucked into the rest of his hair. Strange black tattoos covered both eyes though the detail was a lot more complicated on his left, ranging from where his eyebrow would have been to the end of his cheek.

His predatory eyes pierced straight through my blue ones, holding my gaze. He leaned in closer, snarled and then withdrew.

'You will come with me.'

He nodded to the two men behind and within seconds we were dragged out of the cocoons.  
"Follow me, my Queen wishes to speak with you."

"Your Queen?"

I didn't get an answer. Instead I was forced to follow. We were led through identical halls and corridors; men similar to the ones that had greeted us past us by; none met our gaze. I had to admit that I was more than confused about what was happening. Where were we? Who were these people? Where was Father?

We were led into a large hall and the cold air immediately bit at my bare skin. Mist hovered above the ground and the coal coloured walls added to the room's preternatural atmosphere. At the end was a tall throne, painted in black. The only light that passed through was from four beams that were fixed into the ceiling. The guards let my sister and I go and then left.

_'What's going on?'_ I thought to her.

She shrugged. _'I haven't got a clue but I don't like the way they're looking at us.'_

Out of the shadows came another figure; a low-cut grey and ruby dress emerged from the darkness and trailed across the ground. White hair covered the woman's shoulders and stood out from her emerald skin. She had the same facial slits on her cheeks and had identical reptilian eyes as the men. She stood tall and held an intimidating demeanour. She didn't look human, and yet she looked similar to us. I wondered why that was.

"Tell me," she began as she circled us, "what happened to your hive?"

Kayla and I exchanged glances. After a few moments of silence she snarled. "I will not ask you again."

Kayla shrugged. "We have no idea what you're talking about."

The Queen's eyes narrowed and she inclined her head. "You are Queens, are you not?" Her menacing voice deepened, making her frustration audible.

"I don't think so." I muttered.

"If you are not Queens then what were you doing on board the hive ship in the stasis pods?"

That's when I realised that she was mentioning our home. Was that a hive ship? "We don't know?"

"To be honest, it wasn't by choice." Kayla mumbled.

Before we knew it the Queen's voice rang through our minds and seemed to control our bodies. Our knees buckled and within seconds we were on the floor, unable to move. "What kind of fool do you take me for?"

"What the hell happened to us now?" Kayla whispered angrily.

The Queen swiftly grabbed her hand and observed it. Her face portrayed what seemed like confusion and anger. She quickly dropped it and turned. "Impossible. You have no feeding organ." She paused. "You cannot be human imposters. I can sense your wraith DNA and yet... you cannot be wraith. What are you?"

Wraith? I remembered how Father had mentioned them once, but he never went into detail about them. I didn't think they existed.

"I think we're human." I replied, not sure what the right answer was. My sister and I always looked different, especially from our father's point of view. He said that we were human, like him, but our skin was a mixture of light blue and green; the iris' in our eyes were elongated and we were able to communicate to each other telepathically. Father didn't or couldn't do any of those.

The familiar looking man that had led us to the Queen drew closer. "My Queen."

The Queen's hold on us ceased and I sighed heavily. "Commander, send them to the laboratory. I wish to know how these came to be like they are. After that bring them back here." I whirled round in shock but before I could react I was wrapped up in one of the guard's muscular arms and dragged away.

"What are you people going to do with us?" Kayla shouted, punching and kicking whatever she could.

"Let me go!" I yelled. We were shoved over the guards' shoulders and taken away.

It didn't matter how hard we tried to escape, the guards held us with a death grip. My brown hair dangled in front of my face, blocking the majority of my sight. It was at times like this that I cursed having my hair so long.

The guards stopped for a moment before throwing us to the floor. With a gasp my back collided with the ground.  
"Ouch!" I muttered, rubbing the back of my head.

Looking around, I noticed that we were in a different room. Another man, what I supposed was a wraith, stared at us in wonder. I gulped and stood up. He nodded to the Commander who then left. The wraith gazed at us for a moment before grabbing a handheld terminal and approaching.  
"Your arm." He commanded in a rough tone. I stepped back.

He frowned and went for my wrist but I pulled back just in time.

"Give me your arm!"

"What? Why? Get away from me!"

The guards held our shoulders roughly and the wraith clutched my elbow. A sharp pain ran through my arm as what looked like a syringe was plunged into it. I gritted my teeth as the pain soured through my bones and I had to hold back a scream. After a few excruciating minutes the needle was pulled out and I grabbed the wound; crimson painted my fingertips. Everything became fuzzy and faded, my head span and my muscles shook.

"What did you do to her?" Kayla cried, kicking the wraith that held her.

I swayed back and forth; black dots appeared into the corners of my eyes and a light ringing filled my ears.

"Get your damn green arms off of me! Liana!" She called but I couldn't focus on her. My breath grew short.

"Liana!"

I reached up, but my vision darkened. I lowered my hands and realised that I was unable to hear anything. With my vision lost, I hit the floor.


	3. Waking Up

Chapter 3: Waking Up

"Interesting." An unknown voice muttered.

I grunted and stretched my arms.

"Open your eyes." Light beamed through my half-closed eyelids. I cursed and tried to block it out, though my hands were quickly forced back to my sides. "Do not move."

"W-what's happening? Who-?"

"Do not talk. Stay still." The wraith commanded to which I immediately obeyed. "Hmm." He withdrew the light and made his way back over to his desk. My fingers gently touched my arm. The wound was exposed but didn't look as bad as it did and it didn't seem like much had happened since I fell asleep.

I bit my lip and eyed the wraith warily. "What did you do?" I managed to croak, my throat sore and dry.

He stared at the terminal. "Nothing for you to concern yourself with."

My eyes drifted around the room and I realised that Kayla was nowhere to be seen. "Where's my sister?"

"The other one? She is still unconscious."

"When will I-"

"Enough with your questions!" He growled, not making eye contact.

The organic door parted and the wraith I remembered as the Commander stepped through.  
"I have done what my Queen has commanded of me. Here is the report." The wraith said, to which the Commander nodded. He took what looked like a data tablet and scanned it. He then motioned to me.  
"You will follow."

I narrowed my eyes but decided that it would be best if I did as he said. "Where are we going now?" I asked, cautiously walking out.

"The Queen will speak with you." I inhaled sharply. Again? Oh no.

I could have sworn the walls that I had passed had changed. Their similar structures and colours made it hard to tell one corridor from another but they didn't seem like the one's I had passed before. I accidentally collided into something, or rather someone, and quickly looked up. Another wraith, this one much taller and muscular than the Commander, stared back, his predatory eyes burned with anger and had an unknown hunger to them. He glanced at the Commander who held his arm firmly, snarled and then turned, not looking back. My eyebrow rose in confusion but the Commander ignored me and walked on. What was that about?

It wasn't long before we arrived back at the throne room. The Queen was sat on her throne with a different wraith at her side. Her head gently tilted to our direction and she waved the other wraith off. I wasn't sure what to do except keep quiet.

"My Queen." The Commander greeted. She tilted her head. I wasn't sure what was happening, but I guessed that there was a conversation going on between the two of them as the Queen quickly stood and snatched the tablet from the Commanders hands. Her talon-like finger grazed the pad and she barred her pointed teeth.

"Interesting. She carries the DNA of both wraith and human but-" she grabbed my wrist and held it up, "without the feeding organ." I gulped and tugged my hand back. Sneering, she turned her attention back to the Commander. "She is most interesting, maybe even useful." Her hair flew to the side as she strode back to her throne.

"What will you have me do with her?" The Commander asked. I felt every muscle in me stiffen. I was sure that the shock was evident in my face but fear paralysed me, making it impossible to move.

"Commander, I am placing her under your supervision. She is to stay at your side."

"And what, may I ask, will I do with her?"

She flicked her hand to the side and lifted her chin. "I do not care. Do with her as you wish. However, she must report back to the laboratory for further testing. I will allow you to decide when that is appropriate."

"Of course, thank you my Queen." The Commander replied. _'Follow me. Do not stray.'_ I heard him say but his mouth didn't move or form words. It was then that I realised that he was talking to me telepathically. All I could wonder was how.

I nodded and was taken to the other end of the hive, or at least I thought it was. I stayed close to the Commander, not wanting to get lost or into even more trouble. I knew little to nothing about these 'wraith' and the last thing I wanted was to provoke them.

_'Kayla? Are you there?' _I called out to her, but she didn't respond. _'Kayla? Kayla!'_ Damn.

The Commander halted and touched a panel on the wall. The door swiftly opened. My eyes widened slightly at the room. It was... human-like or at least similar to that of home. There were several desks that carried dust covered books of various sizes as well as peculiar looking artefacts that I had never seen before. A chair was positioned next to what I guessed was a terminal in the far corner and there was a medium-sized window in the back of the room. I wandered over to it and peered through, almost taken aback by the fact that I was in space. I placed my hand against the window as if trying to convince myself that it was all real.

"You will stay here until I say otherwise."

I shot him a confused look. "What?"

He sighed and shook his head. "Must I repeat myself? You will stay here until I have need of you."

He turned and was about to leave. "Wait!"

"What now?"

"I-I need answers. Why am I here? Who are you? How did I get here? W-"

He held his hand up and ignored my protest, quickly leaving the room and shutting the door behind him. I stood in silence for a few minutes, unsure of what to do. I looked one more time around the room and then made my way to the door.

"You have got to be kidding me." I muttered under my breath. Locked.


	4. Telepathy

Chapter 4: Telepathy

Terminals around the dark room glowed faintly and casted shadows on the fleshy walls of the laboratory. The scientist paced back and forth, murmuring and occasionally hissing to himself. Every once in a while he would glance at me and then look back at his data tablet with a confused look. I just sat on one of the empty desks; watching him. After a while he threw the tablet and ran a hand through his tattered hair.

"Is something wrong?" I asked, rather curious as to why he did that.

"This makes no sense!" He roared, looking back and forth at the tablet and terminals.

"What doesn't?"

He gently touched the tip of his hairless chin. "It does not concern you."

I shook my head and went back to staring at the wall. I never understood that wraith.

From what I could tell it had been a matter of days since waking up on the Hive. Since then I had spent most of my time in the laboratory; the wraith scientist constantly studied me and took several scans and blood tests. It was mainly quiet. The wraith rarely spoke and it was almost impossible to have a full conversation with him.

An odd feeling ran through me; one of discomfort. All of a sudden a chill ran down my spine and a pain ran through my head. I could feel the scientist's presence inside my mind; see old and forgotten memories as they resurfaced. He was sorting through them and discarding one's that he felt were irrelevant. I tried blocking him out but ultimately failed.

"What are you doing?" I screamed, trying to stop him from delving deeper into my thoughts, but it only seemed to encourage him.

I could sense the link between us, and after closing my eyes followed it to his mind. His defences were down and I was able to read some of his outer thoughts. Millions of voices entered my mind; voices speaking and yelling in a foreign language. The world around faded and a long corridor appeared before me; wraith moved in and out with purpose and passed me by without notice. The sensation was comparable to being left in icy water; the longer the connection lasted and the further I probed his mind, the colder I felt and the worse the pain got. More images flashed in front of me; visions of Kayla resisting the scientist's tests and her trying and failing to escape. A wraith I didn't recognise grabbed her by the shoulders and dragged her back. I wanted to yell at him, to get him off of her, but before I could react my sight turned black. After sensing my own intrusion the scientist took several steps back and his presence swiftly left. I sighed in relief; the pain receded as quickly as it came. Slowly, I looked up and met his gaze. His expression was questionable, either bewildered or impressed. Either way I held my breath, unsure of what was going to happen next.

"Interesting." Was all he said before returning to his work. My mouth dropped.

"What did you just do?"

"I merely scanned your mind for information." He said as if it was a common thing to do.

"You can't just do that!" I blurted out, not meaning it to come out so abruptly.

He shrugged. "I can and I have. I have found out what I needed to know."

"But, that's not all that happened. I saw... my sister. I don't know how but I did. What happened to her? Was that real?"

The wraith's eyes widened slightly and he turned. "I know what you saw and if I was you I would not do that again!" He growled. "If you must know, yes, it was real. However, I can assure you that the vision you saw was only a small fraction of what had happened. Your sister was not harmed."

I wasn't sure whether to believe him, but the last thing I needed was to make him angrier. "Alright."

He returned to his work but let out a loud groan when asked: "What did you find?"

"What do you mean?"

"You said you got what you needed from reading my mind. What was it?"

He smirked. "You are a curious half breed... maybe too curious for your own good." He paused. "You do not need to know. Now I suggest that you stop talking so I can carry on with my research. If not, I will have to find a more permanent solution to keep you quiet."

His tone came out threatening, but his lack of emotion suggested that it was merely a warning. I rolled my eyes and waited for the Commander to return.


	5. Concerns of the Hive

Chapter 5: Concerns of the Hive

_Commander..._

_'Send the darts down to the planet and cull any remaining villages.'_

_'Yes Commander.' _My second replied before walking out of the control room.

I let out a heavy sigh. It was getting harder to find planets to cull. We received information from an ally hive that a virus had spread among the human populations that rendered them immune to our feeding abilities and would even be able to kill us. We established that most of the planets that could have held these humans were not in our territory, but that didn't mean that the one's in ours couldn't be effected. Because of this we had to be careful with which planets we culled and which humans we fed off. Not only that, but with the recent food shortages, more hives were crossing our territory and attacking us. Our Hive was still repairing itself from the last encounter we had. I doubted we could last another.

_'Commander. I have another report on the half-breed.'_ The scientist I had spoken to earlier informed me.

_'I'm on my way.' _I replied before walking out of the control room.

It was fortunate that we had discovered the two half breeds when we did. I was unsure of what the Queen's plan involving the two of them was, but I guessed that it had something to do with our feeding process. If we could find a temporary solution that allowed us to forgo feeding for extended periods of time, we would not need to cull as frequently and it would ensure our survival. As for the half breed that I was responsible for, she seemed co-operative to say the least. She had been in my custody for only a matter of days, but in that short time I was able to learn that her name was Liana, and that she had no knowledge of who we were. She was reluctant to tell me about her past and I decided to not force her. If under different circumstances I would have sent her to work with the rest of the worshippers on the opposite end of the Hive, but after some thought I decided that it was not the best course of action. The worshippers were all human, and the last thing I needed was for the humans to think that we weren't as much of a threat as they thought. Her appearance was similar to wraith, more so than human, but I could sense her humanity. Humanity was weak, and we did not need the human slaves to think we weren't as powerful as they believed.

The door to the laboratory opened and I entered. I walked over to the scientist and took the data tablet from his hand.

_Hmm. Interesting._ I nodded to him and then motioned Liana to follow.

As we made our way back to my chambers, I could not help but notice that something had caught her attention. Whatever it was got her to stop. I tilted my head to the side and looked into the direction she was staring at.

_Ah, so that was what caught her attention._

One of the human worshippers was dragged against the floor by a fellow wraith. The man screamed as he was taken away and had brutal wounds to his face and arms. The wraith held the man up by the scruff of his neck and without hesitating fed upon him. The gasp Liana made wasn't unexpected, as I knew that she didn't know how we fed. Still, as the worshipper's form shrivelled and his life was taken away; I felt an urge to take her away before the situation got worse. I grabbed her arm and pulled her away from them. She was reluctant at first but soon followed without complaint.

She was quiet for the remainder of the journey. She would get over it; she had to. I would not have her cause a scene. The last thing I needed was for the lower class wraith to question my ability to look after my own worshipper. I could not show weakness and if she acted strangely then it would reflect badly on me.

We neared my chambers and she dashed through the doors. Once inside she leant against the wall and held her head in her hands. My eyes narrowed slightly at her strange behaviour.

"W-What just happened?" She stuttered, not making eye contact.

I stood straighter and placed my hands behind my back. "You mean with the worshipper?"

She nodded. "The wraith... h-he put his hand on him and he... what just happened?"

"He was feeding. As for why he decided to feed at that particular time, I do not know."

She pulled her hands away from her face but her shocked expression remained. "You eat people?" She yelled, taking several steps back.

I stifled a growl and stepped closer. "We do not eat humans. We feed upon them. I assure you those two concepts are different."

"How? How is that different?"

"We do not eat humans." I lifted my hand and she eyed my feeding slit warily. "We survive off of their life force. What happened to the worshipper you saw was a result of the process. His body aged as the wraith took his life. From what I can tell it is not a... pleasant experience for the human but it is necessary."

"Necessary?" She repeated in barely a whisper.

"All living things must eat. We do what we must to survive."

"But he murdered him!"

"Wouldn't you do the same if the roles were reversed? Tell me, what did you eat on your home world?"

She seemed surprised by my question but answered. "Fruit and meat; whatever we could trade with the village closest to our home. Why?"

"Would you say that the killing of animals is murder?"

"No."

"Then how is it different for wraith? Instead of literally eating, we feed. For humans there is an alternative. Our food source is human, and regular food does not sustain us. If we do not feed upon humans, then we die. It is that simple."

"Can't you feed off of animals?"

I huffed. "You actually think that my species has not already tried this? No. We cannot. The only other suitable alternative is cannibalism and, well, if you were in my position, I doubt you would turn to cannibalism, if given the choice."

She stared at my hand for a few moments and then sighed. "Why should I believe you?"

"Believe what you wish. I have told you the truth. Do not be surprised if you see another situation similar to that. All wraith feed and there are many humans on board."

She paled, raising a hand up defensively. "Is that going to happen to me?"

That was a good question. I gently shook my head. "Not if you follow my orders."

She let out a shaky breath, but I knew that fear still lingered.

_'Commander, you will report to me at once._' The Queen suddenly commanded.

_'Yes my Queen.'_ I replied telepathically before turning to the door. "I will be back soon. Until then stay here."

I left the room in silence.

* * *

The Queen eyed me as I approached her throne. "Tell me Commander, how is your worshipper faring? What have the reports shown?"

I respectfully bowed my head. "The scientist has concluded that she has more Wraith then human DNA. It seems that the transition to what she is now was not natural."

"I see," she whispered thoughtfully, pausing for a moment, "and how is this possible?"

"I am still not sure, but I shall order the scientist to work on that as soon as possible."

She barred her teeth and gave a twisted grin. "Good. Good."

"The scientist also discovered that she holds some amount of psychic ability."

The Queen's eyes narrowed and she rose from her throne. "I know. I sensed her mind in the Hive's telepathic network during one of her tests. I am curious as to how far her psychic ability will go before it has reached it's full potential."

"She was also able to view some of the scientist's thoughts, though not for long."

"I see. She shows promise... more than the other."

"The other?"

She snarled and turned. "My second is taking care of her, though she has proven troublesome. I hear that she is far less co-operative than yours. Her value to the Hive is not as high as it once was, and if she continues she may have to be eradicated."

"Are you sure, my Queen? Surely she cannot be that-"

"My scientists have managed to find out that her strength is more than that of a human man. She almost managed to escape during one of her scheduled tests. If this continues she will be fed upon." She paused. "Besides, you say that your one has made no attempt to escape?"

"That is correct. She has remained at my side these past few days."

"As I would expect and she must continue to do so. Now, I need you to find out what you can about your worshipper. Any information you can claim from her might be beneficial."

"Yes my Queen." I stood and was about to leave when-

"And Commander-" I looked back. "Do not let me down."


	6. Dead long ago

Chapter 6: Dead long ago...

_Liana..._

_'Kayla? Kayla? Are you there?'_

All I could hear was the steady rhythm of metal boots as they passed the room.

_'Kayla?'_ Where is she? Why won't she respond?

I hadn't heard or seen my sister in over a month, and I was getting more and more worried. The Commander wouldn't answer any questions about her, so I was left worrying for her safety. What gave me small comfort was what the wraith scientist had said but it wasn't enough.

_'Liana?'_

Her voice startled me and I jumped from my seat_. 'Kayla!"_

'_It's about time!"_

'Kayla! It's good to hear from you!'

I had to wonder how long this connection would last between us before it was severed again.

_'Liana, are you alright? What have they done to you?'_

_'I'm fine, but what about you?'_

'Apart from being stuck on some sort of spaceship with green men wandering around? Never better.'

I sighed in relief._ 'What's going on? Where are you?'_

There was a short pause before she replied. _'I'm in a room. The man that held me here has been gone for a while now, but I can't get out. I think the idiot has locked the door.'_

_'I'm the same.'_

'Look, we're going to get out of here, somehow, but first we have to see each other.'

I shook my head but couldn't help but smile at Kayla's stubbornness. _'How? I can't leave the room without the Commander with me. The other wraith will know something's wrong.'_

'Commander? Is that the man that's holding you prisoner?'

I laughed_. 'That's one way to put it.'_

A sudden blast echoed throughout the room.

_'Liana? Liana what's-?'_ I blocked her mind out; concentrating on the Commander who barged through the door.

He scowled and marched over to his terminal. The silence between us made me tense, but his abrupt growl sent me running to the opposite end of the room. The next thing I knew, one of his data tablets was thrown behind him; landing a few feet away from me. He took a few heavy breaths, ran a hand through his hair and placed the other on the bridge of his nose. I half expected another outburst, but none came. He just stood there, leaning against his terminal. My eyes wandered to the broken tablet discarded on the floor and without thinking I picked it up. Looking at the screen with some interest, I noticed that I knew some of the symbols that were lit up on it, though quite a few were new to me.

I was able to read some of the words, but what stood out was the number twenty four. "What do these figures mean?" I asked curiously.

He turned his head and gave me a bewildered look. "You can read wraith?"

I shrugged, glancing back at the tablet. "This is wraith? My father taught me symbols that were similar to the ones on here when I was young. Some of them I don't know, but some of them look familiar."

I handed him back the tablet but his gaze remained focused on me. "Your father taught you this?"

I nodded. "Yeah, though I don't quite know how he knew your language. He was human you see, not wraith, unless, you teach humans your language?"

He hissed and shook his head. "No, we do not."

"That's strange. Oh well, I guess it came in useful."

He looked back down at the tablet. "Casualties."

"What?"

"You asked me what the figures were. They are the number of casualties we had from the last culling."

I remembered hearing about cullings from him once before. He said that was how the wraith took their prey. He didn't go into detail about it, but to be honest I didn't really want to know.

"Twenty four?"

"Yes."

"How did so many of them die?" I didn't understand. The wraith seemed like an advanced and feared species. How could so many of them die all of a sudden?

He gave me a look which told me that I wasn't supposed to know. I decided to not question him further on it.

"You said your father was human?"

I nodded. "Yes, why?"

"Was he your biological father?"

My hands unconsciously twitched. "No. My sister and I were found in the forest surrounding our home. He didn't say much about it, only that he found us." I smiled sadly. "I wonder where he is. I wonder if I'll ever see him again."

He frowned. "I wouldn't hold out much hope for his return."

"What do you mean?"

He sighed. "When we arrived on your home world, it was because we intercepted a distress beacon from the Hive ship you were on. When I got there, only part of the wreckage was intact. The rest was damaged beyond repair. From what I could gather, the ship had been abandoned for a long period of time. Apart from you and your sister, there were no other life signs."

"What are you trying to say?"

"Do you know how long you were in stasis?"

I inhaled sharply. I knew were he was going with this, I just hoped I was wrong. "A couple of months, maybe? Why? How long were we in there?"

"You were in stasis for almost two hundred years."

Like the cold wind, his words seemed to cut my very soul. My throat clenched and the warmth of my body evaporated. I could feel the tears forming; stinging my eyes like alcohol on an open wound. Two hundred years. The words barely registered. "It's not possible." I whispered almost inaudibly.

"I believe this must be difficult for you."

I didn't answer. I just stared into nothing, barely remembering to breathe. Minutes seemed like hours but I didn't move. I was afraid that if I moved I would fall and not be able to get back up. I heard the Commander step away but I didn't care.

"I shall leave you to your grief." He murmured before silently leaving the room. When he left my knees gave in and I allowed my sobs to take control; not caring if anyone heard me outside.

* * *

It was sometime before the Commander returned. I sat against a wall near the entrance to his sleeping chamber. Footsteps stopped mere inches away from me and I looked up. The sadness portrayed in his eyes told me what he couldn't say out loud. He understood.

"Thank you." I sighed as I stood up.

He frowned. "For what?"

"For telling me."

His frown softened and he replied with a short nod.

"Err... hmm." I uttered, quickly shaking my head and muttering a "never mind."

His eyes narrowed. "What?"

"I was just wondering... what can I call you? I've been with you for a month now and I don't even know your name."

"My name is incomprehensible. You would not be able to say it."

"So, what do I just call you wraith or commander? There are quite a few wraith about."

He smirked. "What do you wish to call me?"

"Well, I don't know. Do you not have a name I could actually say?"

He seemed to ponder on the thought before replying. "Archer."

"Archer?"

"It will suffice. You may only call me that when we are alone. When around others it is always Commander."

"Okay then... Archer."


	7. Curiosity

Chapter 7: Curiosity

_Archer..._

_'Don't touch that.'_ Liana jumped away from the device. I shook my head. _'It's not dangerous, just... don't touch it.'_

She rolled her eyes_. 'Fine.'_

_'You were saying?'_

The wraith technician growled in annoyance. _'The Hive simply isn't repairing itself as fast as it should. We are already behind schedule for the next culling and the Queen is furious. We have tried everything. The Hive is struggling to rebuild the compartments lost in the last battle. Getting some of the systems online has already proven troublesome. We lost two drones due to a malfunction that caused one of the outer compartments to combust.'_

I pinched the bridge of my nose. I didn't need this. It was one problem after another. _'And what of the hyperdrive?'_

_'Unchanged.'_

Our situation was getting worse. We needed the hyperdrive to be able to reach the next habitable planet in time. Our food supply was already low.

_'Commander.'_ My Third in Command greeted.

_'What is it now? This better be important.'_

_'We found an abandoned Ancient outpost in one of the Ancient mapping systems we had discovered some time ago. The planet is not far away from here and might have one of the Ancient's power modules.'_

_'Excellent.'_ It was about time. The Ancient's power module would give the Hive enough power to repair itself and increase some of the weapon and firing systems. _'How far is this Ancient outpost?'_

_'It will take three days to get there without hyperdrive.'_

Hmm_. 'Isolate the food supply. Tell the rest of the wraith that they may only feed as a last resort. If they can work without feeding, then they must do so. Also, make sure that there is a steady supply of food for the Queen.'_

_'And what of the planet, Commander?'_

_'Set a course for the Ancient base. We need that power module.'_

_'Yes Commander.'_

The wraith went back to work and I walked out of the Hive's hull. I didn't need to look back to know Liana had followed.

_'So, what was that all about?' _She asked.

I gave an exasperated growl. How did I know she'd ask?_ 'You do not need to know.' _

_'Why not? It seemed pretty important.'_

_'It is not for worshippers to know.'_

She narrowed her eyes and I gave her a smirk. _"_I am not a worshipper." She said out loud and after realising it coughed and looked at the ground.

I held back a laugh_. 'On this Hive I'm afraid you are.'_

'Then point me to another Hive.'

She hated being called a worshipper, especially after I told her what it meant. She was furious at first, and said that we were equals. If she was born as a wraith, then she would have had her own Hive and we would not have been equals. Because of her human DNA and nature, she was not a Queen, and therefore was assigned to be a worshipper. Because of that status, we were not equals. But she believed we were when we were alone.

_'So where are we heading?'_

_'I have other matters to attend to. You will wait in my quarters until I return.'_

_'I swear all I ever do is stay in that damned room all day!'_

I shook my head. _'You spend most of the day with me around the Hive. You are barely in my quarters.'_

_'Yeah, sure, I-' _

Silence.

_'Liana?' _She didn't respond.

_'Is something wrong?_'I turned to look at her but only then realised that she wasn't behind me.

_'Liana!' _Still no reply. Where did she go now? She knew not to stray. I ran my hand down my face. Where did she run off to?

I marched down several corridors and hallways but found no sign of her.

_'Liana! Answer me!'_

It was ridiculous. How did she manage to get away? Surely one of the drones would have found her and brought her back. She couldn't have gotten that far.

I didn't want to alert the Hive of her disappearance. I didn't need them knowing I lost my worshipper who several seconds ago was a few feet away.

I could sense her through the Hive telepathic network; she was close. She must not have wandered far. All of a sudden startled grunts and snarls rose from a nearby room. I forced my way through the door and was taken aback by what I saw.

A wraith lay on the floor and clutched his head as he cried out in agony. In front of him was my worshipper whose hand was mere inches away, curled up into a fist. The other half-breed stared at her sibling in shock and tried to pull her away from the wraith. What she seemed to be doing was similar to how a Queen used her telepathy to control another wraith's body. It was only when the wraith turned his head and made eye contact that I realised that it was my Second in Command.

I noticed that Liana began to waver, swaying from side to side. She must not have been able to control her psychic link with the Second in Command. With a snarl I grabbed her shoulders and forced her against the nearest wall. My hand instinctively held her chest and I had to force down the urge to feed. She cried out but my hold only tightened.

"What did you do?" I growled, pushing myself away, only to have her fall to the ground. Blood slid down her nose and I had to wonder what the cause for that was.

"Liana!" The other half-breed yelled but it didn't take much to push her away.

"Do not move half breed unless you want your sister to be fed upon!" I warned; my hand once again at the base of Liana's neck. Her sister looked back through teary eyes but decided to do as I commanded. She took several steps back, away from myself and the Second in Command.

I looked back at Liana, who stared back at me. _'You will follow me, now!'_

The wraith rocked his head from side to side. I took several steps towards him. "You will not tell the Queen what happened. Understood?"

The Second's eyes widened slightly at my command, but nodded either way and stood. _'I do not think that is wise, Commander, but I will not be the one to tell her.'_

_'Good. She has enough matters to attend to and a lot of priorities on her mind. She does not need more.'_

My gaze drifted over to the other half-breed who scowled back. _'Are you incapable of looking after your own worshipper?' _

He snarled. _'No, Commander. I can assure you, this will not happen again, if, your worshipper does not interfere.'_

_'She will not.'_

I grabbed her wrist and pulled her out of the room. She did not resist.

* * *

Once we made it back to my chambers I let her go and slammed the door.

"What do you think you were doing?" I roared, pacing back and forth from one end of the room to the other. "Do you realise what could have happened? If that wraith wasn't my Second, then the Queen would have been told and you would have been killed!"

"I know but-"

"I would have been powerless to prevent your execution."

"I know."

"And not only that but your sibling would have also been killed because of your idiocy."

I unclenched my jaw and ran a hand through my hair. After a few minutes I turned to look back at her, but she didn't seem afraid. No, there was no fear, only... sadness.

"I didn't know what I was doing." She muttered, not meeting my gaze. "Kayla called out to me. I couldn't walk away knowing what that wraith was going to do to her."

"What he does with her is none of your concern. She is his worshipper and-"

"We are no one's worshippers! He doesn't have the right to do whatever he wants!"

I wasn't sure whether it was her stupidity or her stubborn nature, but either one could have gotten her killed. "I have told you once before. You are a worshipper. There is no use denying it. I have given you the freedom most worshippers don't have, and you dare to insult me by doing this!"

"I am not insulting you! If your Queen was in danger, you wouldn't think twice about helping her! It's the same with my sister."

"Maybe so, but that is not the case."

She had to understand that if she was going to survive on the Hive, she would have to obey my commands and not do what she did. I didn't want her dead but I knew that if she kept acting like this then she would be. She may not have liked the role she had been forced with but she had to accept it. There was no other alternative.

"What you did to that wraith. How did you do it?"

She blinked several times, unsure of what to say. "I-I don't know."

"You don't know?"

"I remember the wraith holding Kayla against the wall and the next thing I knew, he was on the floor."

Interesting. Perhaps her psychic ability was stronger than I had anticipated?

"I felt like I had entered his mind but I couldn't read his thoughts. It was strange... and painful." She rubbed her nose and looked down at the blood. "I don't remember much else."

I sighed heavily and rubbed my forehead. "For now you will stay here. There is still a chance that the Queen will find out what has happened, but the chances of that happening are slim. In the mean time you can never do what you did ever again. If the Queen does find out she will most likely take it as a threat and you will die."

"But, the wraith-"

"He will not say anything."

She eyed me suspiciously. "How do you know?"

"I gave the wraith the title as my Second in Command. Many years ago he failed the Queen on an assignment. If it wasn't for my input and need of a second, he would have been fed upon. His allegiance is to me, not the Queen."

"That seems useful."

I shrugged. "It has its moments. The Queen does not need to know about this incident so do not worry. Just do not do it again."


	8. Ancients

Chapter 8: Ancients

_Liana..._

I stared at the Wraith Dart in surprise when the top compartment opened. Several controls were displayed at the front of the cockpit. Archer sat in the vacant seat and the spaceship came to life. It hovered above the ground and swayed in the air. He motioned me over with his hand.

"There's only one seat." I said but he didn't seem to care. Instead, he pulled my arm and I landed in the Dart.

He smirked. "No need for another seat."

He waved his hand over one of the controls and an organic canopy formed above our heads. I cursed at the sudden warmth that spread across my cheeks and tried to hide it. When I looked up his eyes were fixed on the controls, but the smirk lingered.

I placed my hands against his chest and tried to not panic when the Dart shook. Archer kept one hand around my waist and another on the controls. I slightly tensed our closeness, but soon settled in his lap and watched as the organic roof changed into streams of wraith symbols. Beyond the symbols was the faded view of space. I could just make out the other darts that were following us. Ahead was the strange mixture of blue and green. I realised a moment later that it was the planet that we were heading to.

I had managed to persuade Archer to let me accompany him to the planet. I didn't know why we were going there, only that it was important to him and the other wraith. To be honest, I needed to get away from the Hive. I had managed to contact Kayla, but our connection was severed shortly after. After talking to Archer, I learnt that the Queen had a significant amount of psychic ability. She was supposedly very powerful both physically and mentally. I had to wonder if she was the reason for not being able to communicate to Kayla.

The Dart tilted from left to right as it glided through the air.

I spotted a round structure near one of the mountains. "What's that?"

Archer leaned over. "It's a Stargate. It's used to travel to other worlds."

"I think I saw one of those back on my home world. It never seemed to work though."

"There are Stargates that are sometimes forgotten. I would not be surprised if that was one of them."

The Dart flew into a mountain pass. Archer circled the sky and landed the Dart on one of the grass terrains. The canopy above disappeared and I climbed out of the cockpit. The planet was very similar to my home world. However, when I looked up at the sky I noticed that there were two moons. Strange, my planet only had one.

The other wraith climbed out of their Darts and walked over to Archer. They drew their weapons and headed towards the mountain wall.

_'So, where are we supposed to be going?' _I asked telepathically.

Archer held a data tablet and scanned the mountain. _'Something... there!'_

All of a sudden part of the mountain wall disappeared and in it's place was a large, steel city. The rest of it seemed to be embedded into the surrounding mountain. The city's walls alone were almost larger than a Hive ship. I couldn't help but marvel at the sight. The wraith, however, seemed to despise it. I wondered why that was.

I watched Archer as he made his way over to one of the large doors. He slid the plate off one of the walls and hooked his data tablet up to some sort of power source. After a few seconds the door opened and showed a long, dimly lit tunnel.

The wraith drones entered the city. Archer caught my shoulder before I could follow and whispered: "Stay close to me. Whatever happens, do not leave my sight."

I stared at the tunnel for a moment before replying. "If you don't see me then you know I've gotten myself lost... again."

I could tell that he was trying his best now to laugh. "You do seem to have a way of getting lost, even on the Hive."

"That was once and it was dark..."

"By my count it was three times and you were following me."

I crossed my arms. "Well then it's you who got us lost in the first place."

"You and I both know that is not true." He looked back at the tunnel. "Come on, the others have already gone on ahead."

The interior of the city was not what I had expected. The technology I had seen as well as the design of it all was definitely not wraith. "Who could have made this place?"

Archer snarled. "Ancients created this outpost many centuries ago. The facility was created to keep record on us wraith throughout the war. I doubt it would have been used for military purposes, but it might been used to conduct experiments and scientific research. If so it might be useful to us."

"So, why are we here then, if not for that?"

"We need their power supply."

"Why?"

He sighed. "It is not the time to talk about this now. We have important matters to attend to."

"Like finding your power supply?"

"Exactly."

We wandered aimlessly through many hallways. They all looked the same and I found it hard to keep track of which corridor went where. When we made it to a two way junction, two of the wraith drones split from us and headed in the opposite direction.

Terminals flickered on and off as we entered the control room. A large support beam was in the centre of the room but it wasn't made out of the same material as the walls. From what I could tell it seemed to be made out of glass. Archer began to work on one of the terminals as did one of the wraith technicians. I noticed that there was a faint glow from one of the glass support beam's panels and looked at it more closely.

"Maybe if I-oops." I pressed the panel and almost instantly a tray of crystals came out of it. "Err Ar- I mean Commander? Is this supposed to happen?"

Archer looked up from his terminal.

"Impossible-" He snatched his data tablet, ran over to the support beam and searched through the crystals. "How did you do this?"

"It was already open."

He frowned. "I highly doubt the Ancients would leave this open, especially when this is the key to getting their power source."

"Well, it looks like they weren't as smart as you thought."

He stared at me for a moment and I struggled to figure out what he was thinking. However, he soon turned his attention back to the crystals. He sorted through them and threw out some of the dimly lit ones. Once he was done he closed the slot and stepped back to his terminal. The glass support beam separated. Once it was down, a hand-sized crystal rose from the ground.

Archer grabbed it and gave it to the wraith technician.

He gave me a sideward glance_. 'I'm glad I brought you along.'_

I smiled at him. _'And you thought I was just going to stand here while you did all the work.'_

He was about to reply when all of a sudden his face fell. Out in the hallway was an injured wraith drone. He struggled to make it to us but the message seemed to get across to Archer before the drone fell to the floor.

"What!" Archer yelled, grabbing the weapon from his belt and turning to me. "We must leave. We are under attack."

Panic ran through me. "Attack? From who?"

He growled. "Lanteans."


	9. Lanteans

Chapter 9: Lanteans

_Archer..._

The Lanteans. What where they doing here? Our Hive was lucky enough to not cross paths with them until now. They must have been here for the Ancient's power crystal. I had a few wraith at my disposal, but I knew that we would not survive a confrontation. The main objective was to get the crystal back to the Hive. Without it the Hive wouldn't make it to the next planet in time to cull.

I looked back at Liana and realised what a mistake it had been to bring her with me. Based on what information we had gained from our ally Hive about the Lanteans, we found out that killing wraith, it seemed, was their way of showing mercy. We had reports on the wraith they had experimented on. The Queen was suspicious of the wraith known as Michael and had only dealt with him once. I did not wish the same fate for her.

"Lanteans? Who are the Lanteans?" Liana asked.

I gave the Ancient power supply to a wraith technician and placed my stunner in her hand. "All you need to know is that they are dangerous and that we must get back to the Hive as soon as possible."

"Wait, what am I supposed to do with this?"

I grabbed her hand and squeezed the trigger. She stiffened when a beam of electricity shot through the end and hit the wall. I leant down and whispered in her ear: "Shoot."

She stepped back in surprise. "Shoot? Shoot at what? I've never used one of these in my life!"

"Well now you can practise."

She shook her head. "I'm dead. I'm so dead."

"Not while I'm here." I said, leading both her and the wraith out of the control room.

We carefully made our way through the Ancient City. I was able to cut most of the power from the control room so the humans were hunting blindly. Wraith were born with the ability to see in low-light conditions, mostly due to our ancestry with the Iratus bug. It should have given us the advantage over them.

We crossed paths with three drone corpses; each had bullet holes in their armour. One seemed to have been dealt with some sort of energy weapon. My first assumption was that he was hit with a stunner, but on closer inspection I realised that the exposed flesh, mainly on the arms, had been burnt. The Lanteans must have changed their weaponry.

I wasn't expecting the sudden beam of light from the ceiling. The Lanteans must have found a way to reroute power to the Ancient's systems and lighting. If that was online then it wouldn't be long before they were able to hack into the sensor's network and locate our position.

_'You there! Take the power supply back to the Hive and take my worshipper with you. The Queen wants her back alive.' I commanded the technician.  
_  
He didn't hesitate to grab Liana's arm and turn towards the exit. I noticed her confusion and her attempt to resist.

_'You must go with him.'_

She stood before me; stunned. However, her angry scowl and flushed cheeks told me that she wasn't going to leave without an explanation. She tried to writhe out of the technician's hold. _'What!'_

'You will do as I say!'

'I will do no such thing! Where are you planning on going? Why do I have to go with this wraith?'

I stepped closer to her and bared my teeth. "You will go with him now, worshipper!"

I expected her to back down, but instead she stood tall and met my gaze. "I'm not going anywhere and you can't make me."

"How dare you speak to the Commander in such a manner!" The technician growled but the swift rise of my hand and the glare I gave him was enough to silence him.

_'You are going to regret this.'_

She rolled her eyes._ 'You've said that more than once and I haven't yet.'_

I signalled the technician to go ahead. The truth of the matter was that if she was taken with him she would have slowed him down. If the wraith went alone then there was more of a chance that the crystal would get to the Hive in time. As much as I wished for her safety, the performance she just gave was enough to get the technician to question my position as Commander. If we survived the battle with the Lanteans, I would have to dispose of the wraith before the Queen found out.

_'What's going to happen now?'_

I walked past her and motioned the drones to follow. _'We take a different route out of the facility. If it comes to it then we must fight with the Lanteans.'_

'Right, fight. Err... I've never actually been in a proper fight.'

'Just aim and shoot. Stay beside me and you will be fine.'

'And what if something happens to you? Then what?'

'Run.'

Snap. I grabbed her arm and threw us both against the wall. A sharp bang filled our ears and it wasn't long before the drones started to shoot at our enemies. The weapon fire flew across the room; electricity and bullets crossing each other and hitting their intended targets. I sprinted to the other wall, grabbed a blaster from one of the dead drones and aimed at the humans. By this time Liana had already drawn her weapon.

"Humans?" She shouted amidst the chaos.

I shook my head and aimed for the bulkier human in the corner. "Yes, humans! Who did you think we were up against?"

"I was expecting anyone other than them! I grew up amongst humans you know."

One of the bullets skimmed my cheek but it was soon healed. "Is this the best time to discuss this?"

"Maybe not."

A sharp pain coursed through my upper torso and as numbness filled my body I fell back. The drumming of the weapon fire ceased but the light ringing that plagued my ears continued. My sight darkened considerably and my vision blurred. I weakly waved my hand over my stomach and froze at smelling iron in the air and at seeing the dark liquid covering my hand.

"Lookout!" One of the humans yelled.

"Wait, wait! Don't shoot him!" I angled my head to the side and caught Liana with her weapon pointed at one of the humans and her hand held up defensively.

Deafness began to catch up with me; their voices and sounds phased in and out.

"Please... what...I'm not a wraith..." Was all I could hear Liana say.

"John, look at her hand..." The human female muttered to her superior.

I tried to stand when the larger human waved his weapon threateningly at Liana but ultimately collapsed. I knew that the effects and damage were only temporary. The advantage of feeding before my departure from the Hive was that I was able to heal from even the most fatal wounds, but at the state I was in I knew it would take time; time Liana may not have had.

The humans stared at each other until one of the males made up his mind. He nodded to the male who changed the direction of his blaster from Liana to me. I heard Liana's scream, but what concerned me was the look of shock and sadness in her eyes. I grunted when another jolt of pain rushed through me and my eyes drifted shut.


	10. Prisoners of War

Chapter 10: Prisoners of War

_Liana..._

My head rocked from side to side in sync with the light tapping that plagued my ears. There was a great absence of light when my eyes fluttered open and I stared at the blanket of shadow above. Several thoughts crossed my mind, one being that I was dead, another that I was still asleep. I noticed a faint blue glow in the corner of my eye and on raising my head I realised that there was a stone wall a few feet away.

Heavy footsteps sent a chill down my spine and I turned to face the direction of the sound. There was the form of a human man on the opposite end of the bars. It was difficult to describe his appearance, or lack of it, though I was able to see patches of skin under his olive jacket and grey trousers and I was able to just make out the top half of his face, though it was slightly faded.

"You got a name?" The strange human asked.

"What?"

"Name? No? Okay, let's see... how about..."

"Liana."

The human raised an eyebrow and I elaborated. "My name is Liana."

"Right, well, Liana, I'm Coronel John Sheppard."

"Where am I?" I stared at the peculiar pillars caging me. I put out my hand and was about to touch it when-

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. You might get a little bit of a shock from touching it."

"A shock?"

"Yeah, the Ancients were good at shields and stuff weren't they?" I retracted my hand and my expression changed from one of confusion to curiosity. "Anyway, I'm gonna need to know what you and your wraith buddies were doin' in the Ancient outpost."

I frowned. He didn't expect me to tell him why we were there, did he?

The man sighed and crossed his arms. "You're not one for talking, are ya?"

What was I supposed to say, that we were there to get the power supply? For all I knew that was what the humans wanted. It's not like I knew what it was for, only that it would help the Hive in some way and that it was most likely already there.

I stayed silent and watched as he touched a small device attached to his ear.

He muttered some incoherent words into it and talked as if having a conversation. If the technology he had was so advanced, how come the humans back on my home planet were simple farmers?

Once he was done he unfolded his arms. "Right, I'm gonna leave you here for a while to let you think on that."

I was taken aback and whispered: "What?"

"Oh, and welcome to Atlantis."

"Wait, human! John! You can't leave me in here!"

His form disappeared around a corner and the door emitted a loud creak as it closed. Silence filled the air and I was left alone.

I let out a heavy sigh and observed the prison I was confined in. Atlantis? I hadn't heard of it before, but I guessed that was where the wraith got the name Lanteans from. The stone walls were similar to the little Ancient architecture I had seen. Perhaps I was in another Ancient building, or even a city?

I thought back to before I was captured. I remembered the sudden shock I felt when I saw Archer fall back against the ground. I remembered how my mind went blank and that all I could do was bargain for his life. I remembered how the human female stared at my hand in bewilderment, and that it seemed to have helped them come to a decision. That reminded me, where was Archer? I tried to call out to him through telepathy, but I got no answer. In fact, all I got was the silence in the room.

I shook my head and slumped to the floor. What was I going to do? I was trapped until the humans decided otherwise with little knowledge of where I was and what their intentions where. What terrified me was the feeling of being alone. Even amongst the wraith on the Hive I felt less afraid than I did now. Even before I was captured by them I had Kayla with me, but now I was alone amongst humans. Who knew that being with humans was more unnerving than living with wraith?


	11. Prisoners of War II

Chapter 11: Prisoners of War II

_Archer..._

These humans were pathetic. If they believed that I would give them the information they required, then they were even more foolish that I originally thought.

I had been acquainted with the one who called himself John Sheppard, and I knew that he was the one who brought me to Atlantis from the Ancient base. The human, for some unknown reason, had decided to call me by the name of Terry, but after some time I had grown tired of his useless muttering and decided to give him the name I had chosen myself. I found it better to hear the name I had come accustomed to than the one he had given me.

However, I soon found his constant techniques of interrogation tiresome. He even tried to intimidate me with the use of one of his own primitive weapons. Even if he did use it, it would not make much difference to my current state. I would eventually heal, though I had to admit my strength was waning, especially with the injuries I had before I came to Atlantis.

One of the things that concerned me was the location of Liana. They neglected to tell me what they had done with her and that left me to worry for her safety. The human female had pointed out that she lacked the feeding organ all wraith had, and I was sure that the humans would have at least found that interesting.

The door on the other end of the room opened and the corners of my mouth twitched at seeing the familiar human. He smirked and stopped by my prison.

"Well, I have just had a chat with your Queen, and it looks like she isn't too talkative either."

My Queen? How was that possible? Surely he was trying to deceive me. The Queen was still on the Hive, most likely on course for the next culling planet. How could he-? That's when I realised that he was talking about Liana. They believed that she was a Queen? I could understand how they came up with that assumption. She possessed similar traits to that of a female wraith, and to them all female wraith were Queens.

"You know-" he said as he looked at the wound in my chest, "I wonder how long you will last before you need to feed."

I didn't answer.

"I may be prepared to offer up some kind of bargain, if, you give me the information I need."

My lips turned upward and I couldn't help but laugh at his proposal. "You think that offering me one of your own kind will make me tell you where the Ancient power module is?" I noticed how his expression had changed when I mentioned the power module and continued. "Ah, so that is what you seek. I am afraid, human, that even if I were to tell you its location, you would not even be able to get your hands on it. By now my Hive has left orbit and has travelled to their next planet to cull. After that their whereabouts will be unknown. Getting information out of me would be a waste of your time."

"Well, we'll just see about that."

"Yes, we will."

His eyes narrowed and he turned to leave. "I wonder if your Queen will be more... cooperative."

Anger ran through me and my muscles tensed at the mention of her. The human saw my reaction and I found it difficult to interpret the meaning behind his expression. When he left I threw my hand against the shielded cage and withdrew it once the pain became unbearable.

If he dared to even touch Liana, there would be nowhere on this planet he could hide where I would not find him!

I knew what they did to wraith: experimentation and then if the wraith was fortunate, death. The wraith known as Michael was one such wraith, and even he was barely able to escape them. Liana was not a full wraith. She did not process our strength. She would not be able to escape so easily.

I refrained from thinking of other tortures they could put her through. The Queen had put her under my supervision. I was ordered to keep her safe! She was important to the Hive and our survival. I could not let the Lanteans get what information they could out of her.

I looked down at my hands and realised that they were still balled into fists; my nails had dug into the palms and had almost drawn blood. They slowly loosened and I ran a hand over my face. Why couldn't I control my emotions, especially at the mention of her name? I had a strange feeling, one I rarely encountered and it was even rarer for me to lose control. It must have been because of the duty I had to the Hive, and that her safety was more important than my own. Still, there was a part of me that was telling me that it was something else, something more. I even kept important information from the Queen for Liana's safety. I was always apprehensive of the Queen and often questioned her motives, but what Liana did to my Second in Command was something she should have been aware of and I kept it hidden.

I let out a heavy sigh.

I remembered the time I had spent with Liana back on the Hive and had to admit that the half-breed's companionship was welcomed and even sometimes pleasant, but that did not mean that we were anything else. She was still my worshipper, whether she wished to be or not, and that was how it had to be, for both our sakes.

It wasn't long before I heard the familiar swish of the door and yet another human stepped through, though it was not Colonel John Sheppard. No, this one was taller, stronger. He was comparable to a warrior. His posture was tense and he stood tall with his head held high. I knew what he was trying to do. He was trying to intimidate me. A human intimidating a wraith! In my thousands of years this was something I rarely came across.

It was only when he came further into the light that I realised that he, too, was one of the humans from the Ancient base, and he was in fact the one who had shot me.

He lacked the fear most humans had when meeting one of my kind and it was obvious that he had encountered wraith before.

I took a step closer, one he narrowed his eyes at, and asked: "How long has it been since my kind hunted you down, human?"

He did not reply, but I noticed that his jaw had tightened and that his head had tilted upward. Good. Provoking him would be a better distraction than simply staying in the cage.

"Did my brothers kill your family? Cull your planet? Did they feast on your people and enjoy how their life was sucked away from their body?"

His frown depended and he brought his hand down to his weapon. So, he had. Interesting.

A thought crossed my mind. This was no simple human. I knew he hated my kind, but there was also something else. I noticed the distinct wraith hair attached to the handle of his weapon and realised that he was a wraith hunter. If he was able to hunt wraith then he must have had experience in how they hunted humans.

"Were you a runner?" His scowl gave me the answer. "The humans in this city are weak and fragile. It will be simple for my kind come and dispose of them all."

He remained silent.

I growled and stepped closer. "I tell you now, I will be free of this cage, and when I am, everyone on this base will die by my hand!"

"That's enough!" The man yelled through gritted teeth and pointed his weapon at me.

"Ronon, drop the gun, now! That's an order!" John Sheppard commanded from the door.

"But John-"

"You can deal with him later," he said as he placed his hand on the top of the weapon, "but first we need to get the information out of him."

It was a few moments before the larger human holstered his weapon. I saw John rub his forehead and motion the human to the door.

"I think you need to cool down a bit."

The human known as Ronon nodded and made his way through the door but not without giving me one final glare.

I noticed the frustration John Sheppard had and had to hold back a smile. "So, are you willing to give me the information yet or do you need to stay in there a while longer?"

My silence was his answer and he shook his head. "It was worth a try."

I watched as he left the room again and I was left to my thoughts.


End file.
